Why catch and release trout, steelhead that you don't eat? Aren't steelhead an endangered species? Do you eat all the fish you catch? If not how can you justify enjoy watching them struggle and at the end of your line with a piece of sharp steel embedded in their mouths? Do they feel pain when you catch them? Are you a sadist?Is this how you get your jolies? Do you eat meat, fish, poultry? If you buy orgainic meat at WHole Foods does it make it ok? In C&R fishing 20% minimun die from stress. And more questions: Why do you drive a car to torture poor fishies that causes global warming, enriches BP, Dich Cheney and destroys the planet?

Aparently W siders, who live in the city, have no connection to nature. There are way too many predators on the east side in certain areas. There are 2 packs of at least 25 coyotes near where I live. I am finding a lot of dead deer in these areas where i coyote hunt. They do not have enough food and are kiiling neighbors' pets. Keeps down population. Neighbor had 3 calves killed this year too. I skin the animals i kill and use what I can.

What ribka said. I've personally lost 2 dogs over the years to coyote packs. I meet damn few landowners who haven't lost stock or pets to yotes. The reason Pheasants are so few isn't just because of habitat loss; since most of the birds we have available on this side are planted (hatchery Roosters?), they're easy prey for coyotes. A friend deeply involved in Pheasants Forever recently lost 1,000 birds over a 2-week period to coyotes; needless to say, he LIKES me to hunt his land. I've witnessed deer being slaughtered in deep snow by coyotes. I could go on, but I won't. I also believed ribka stated a use for the pelt. Finally, I personally enjoy hunting coyotes. There is no shortage of coyotes on this side of the state. And I can be a dick when others who don't enjoy one of my pursuits starts preaching/questioning the ethics of those who do. Another reason why I don't post pix on this site . . . too many self-acclaimed critics. If you don't understand it or it doesn't appeal to you, don't do it, but don't take shots at those who do.

not trying to be a dick here... but why shoot coyotes? do you eat them?

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Take it easy guys. Read the first line.

I had no idea a coyote pack could take deer and cows. I has always been my opinion that we have a obligation to replace the top predators we removed from the food chain. Otherwise their pray will over breed and starve. It's all about balance.

If there is a overpopulation of coyotes, is that because of loss of something that would have controlled their population or have they just not reached balance with there pray?

Honest questions here. NOT trying to start anything. NOT a member of PETA by any means.

I have a lot of furs in my tying kit but, no coyote. How is it for tying? Do the guard hairs stay stiff when wet?

Coyotes no longer have any predators limiting their populations (i.e. wolves). Coyotes are now the apex predator in most of eastern Washington where there aren't any cougars. They are incredibly adaptable and have made adjustments to changes in agriculture rural areas and development in urban areas. There are established populations of coyotes in Seattle proper, not just in the outskirts, we've seen them. There has been a marked decline in the jack rabbit population in eastern Washington so the coyotes have shifted to dogs and cats as a part of their diet along with rodents and game birds. The fact that Ribka is going to use the hair from this kill to supply his (and probably friends') fly tying needs speaks to a sportsman I can respect. Ribka, you keep those wild canines in check. Well done.

Only good coyote is a dead coyote.
The fur huggers really put the screws to the prey animals when the price of pelts went way down.
I live in urban America and the coyote walks up and down the street like he owns the world.
I say kill'em on site.

You guys need to spend more time in the great outdoors if you want to consider yourselves good stewards of nature. It is more than buying "sustainable foods" ( my sustainable food is deer and elk) an driving a hybrid.

j Bandy so your saying we need to start a hatchery program for the Pike minnow to help them because they are an apex predator and natural to the environment? Why does the state give a bounty to kill these fish? They are a native fish after all. Wouldn't it make more sense in your world just to ban salmon and steelhead fishing and allow the pike minnow population to go unmolested? After all, the pike minnow (squaw fish) was here way before you and stilly stalker's ancestors immigrated to the US.

Yeh, I initially did not want to post pic knowing I would receive at least a few negative reactions from the urban dwellers on the W side. Yes, I am a former urban citizen having lived in NYC, DC, Philly, Moscow, Kiev, Bishkek, Amsterdam, W Berlin, San Fran, Houston. I used to think unregulated wolf introduction was good and could not understand predator hunting. If you don't eat don't kill it. I killed my first ratttlesnake this year that was biting my ankle while elk hunting. Good thing was wearing high boots and thick fleece pants

Well, after moving out west 6 years ago I have spent a lot of time hiking, hunting camping in WA, MT, WY, ID, OR. I have talked to quite a few people who live in wilderness areas too. My attitudes have changed.
On the E side our deer pops are way down due to blue tongue disease, hair loss disease. I find a lot of dead fawn carcasses in the Spring and many deer as Jim mentioned are targeted in deep snow in the Winter. Too many yotes now. Really putting the hurt on ducks, geese and upland nesting areas too. So am helpng control pop. I'll probably only shoot 3-4 this year. I have a friend who shoots 60-80 every year around Yakima. Does not affect population. More yotes than ever.

Spend some time in ID and Montana and take a look how the Canadian grey wolf wolf introduction is decimating the elk and moose populations.

Many good patterns can be made from the tail of the yote. I use under fur for dubbing for hair's ear.
Send me a SASE and will send some hair to you. I use hair from elk, huns, antelope, pheasant, deer, my chickens to tie many different patterns.

I take it you were calling? Good work, there's a resident pack around our place in Oroville. We get the O'dark thirty serenade just about every night.

One afternoon I was hunting grouse in my favorite covert. There's a break in the covert due to an old logging spur. I always wait before crossing the open area to see what's around the perimeter across the way. I spotted some movement through the cover and soon saw a good sized Yote emerge. He stopped at the edge of the clearing and seemed to notice something was amiss. He looked directly at me and I stood dead still. He sniffed the wind, lowered his head and then glanced to his left. Just moving my eyes I spotted what I feel was his mate to my right. She looked exactly like a coyote except she was the color of a Golden Retriever. If she was a coy-dog the only characteristic she had from a dog was her color. I waited a few seconds more and then moved forward, they bolted and I watched as they circled around me and headed up the ridge. It's really great when you can get that close to them.

We have them in the backyard in Normandy Park. The wife had one greet her coming up the back stairs into the carport last week, probably looking for our juicy cat. She, the wife, was not pleased. You can follow their trail through the area by the missing cat signs. Couple of months later, those missing cats are replaced and the signs begin a new cycle.

"j Bandy so your saying we need to start a hatchery program for the Pike minnow to help them because they are an apex predator and natural to the environment? Why does the state give a bounty to kill these fish? They are a native fish after all. Wouldn't it make more sense in your world just to ban salmon and steelhead fishing and allow the pike minnow population to go unmolested? After all, the pike minnow (squaw fish) was here way before you and stilly stalker's ancestors immigrated to the US."

ribka;
Way to try to start something but I'm not taking the bait. Read my post again but this time try not to read anything into it.

"I had no idea a coyote pack could take deer and cows. I has always been my opinion that we have a obligation to replace the top predators we removed from the food chain. Otherwise their pray will over breed and starve. It's all about balance.

If there is a overpopulation of coyotes, is that because of loss of something that would have controlled their population or have they just not reached balance with there pray?

Honest questions here. NOT trying to start anything.NOT a member of PETA by any means.

I have a lot of furs in my tying kit but, no coyote. How is it for tying? Do the guard hairs stay stiff when wet? "

"j Bandy so your saying we need to start a hatchery program for the Pike minnow to help them because they are an apex predator and natural to the environment? Why does the state give a bounty to kill these fish? They are a native fish after all. Wouldn't it make more sense in your world just to ban salmon and steelhead fishing and allow the pike minnow population to go unmolested? After all, the pike minnow (squaw fish) was here way before you and stilly stalker's ancestors immigrated to the US."

ribka;
Way to try to start something but I'm not taking the bait. Read my post again but this time try not to read anything into it.

"I had no idea a coyote pack could take deer and cows. I has always been my opinion that we have a obligation to replace the top predators we removed from the food chain. Otherwise their pray will over breed and starve. It's all about balance.

If there is a overpopulation of coyotes, is that because of loss of something that would have controlled their population or have they just not reached balance with there pray?

Honest questions here. NOT trying to start anything.NOT a member of PETA by any means.

I have a lot of furs in my tying kit but, no coyote. How is it for tying? Do the guard hairs stay stiff when wet? "

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Again, I purposely posted this pic of yote hunting expecting at least one comment from a guy from the metro Seattle area who swings for steelhead. Check out some of the prior anti-gun anti-hunting posts on WFF. They seem to enjoy lecturing others on their behavior here on WFF. Kind of funny but why is this? For the record I have been using a spey rod since the 1980's and I could friggin care less if a guy catches a fish on corkies and yarn, a bead, spinner, worm, power bait or swinging a fly.

Anyway back to the subject at hand- A coyote will kill live stock: chickens, lamb, small calves( I never said a healthy cow) goats etc. I hear coyotes by my house every night. I find scat right next to the house quite often. I have about 1 doz free range chickens, a couple of rescue cats and 2 dogs so am concerned for their safety. Again there are too many in our area. I shoot maybe 6-7 every year in maybe 5 sq mile area to help control pop. Helps lessen the attacks on live stock, pets in our area and aids local deer population. Coyotes have no predators since the wolves are no longer in this area. (Many city dwellers think that wolf introduction is the answer but that is another topic...). When the pop gets too high as you know disease over predation occurs. Started to see some coyotes with mange in the area now.

I see and get close to coyotes almost everytime I go hiking, bird and elk hunting. I enjoy seeing them and enjoy their songs at night.

I have tried eating them but they have a lot of parasites and worms so I use what I can by skinning them and using their hairs for fly tying. I will eat just about anything too. I grew up eating squirrel, coon, rabbit and ate anything that crawled or swam during survival training in the military.

Maybe try this

Their guard hairs on their tail are stiff enough when wet for a successful pattern.

Last summer in Ontario, Canada, a young lady was attacked and killed by a pack of coyotes. Unfortunately, her companions, rather than attempting to drive off the animals, simply got on their cell phones for help. So yes, they're dangerous, and extremely smart. The primary reason they're as numerous as they are, is that they have no natural predators other than somebody's car. I do love to listen to them in the evenings, but I fear for my old cat when he's out, even though he sticks really close to home. They've also been known to mate with other canines, and in the East, have produced a wolf/coyote hybrid that's truly scary. I don't see why they wouldn't be edible, but I'd have to be really hungry before I went that route! They make good coats, though!!